Severe Water Scarcity Hits 4 Billion People Every Year Taylor Austen - The Marshalltown
go to original February 13, 2016

Fresh water scarcity: An introduction to the problem - Christiana Z. Peppard (TED-Ed)

Four billion people do not have enough water to meet their basic needs. That is far greater than previously understood, according to a new study that presents a more accurate picture of the problem.

Previous studies estimated that between 1.7 billion and 3.1 billion people are affected by severe water scarcity, but those findings were based on annual data that failed to capture variations in consumption and supply throughout the year. In the paper published today, researchers used monthly data on freshwater consumption and supply to evaluate water scarcity from 1996 to 2005, accounting for agriculture, municipal use, and environmental needs. Of the 4 billion people facing severe water scarcity at least one month a year 130 million live in the US — mostly in California, Texas, and Florida. Other affected countries include Bangladesh (130 million people), Pakistan (120 million), and Nigeria (110 million).

Everyone won’t suffer equally as in the developed richer countries severe water shortages may indicate water rations for showering and gardening, whereas in very poor nations it could result into drinking water scarcity.



Along with well-known dry places such as Australia and the Middle East, the map identifies parts of Africa and Mexico, southern Europe, Turkey, Central Asia and northern China as places where periods of water scarcity may cause local hardship — but might also trigger problems that extend beyond the places and times where fresh water is in short supply. For example, many of Europe’s imports of food and other goods rely on reliable water in China, Hoekstra notes.

Unlike previous studies, this work compares consumption to available water on a monthly rather than annual basis from around the world. In their models, researchers included data on climate, land use, soils, crop growth, irrigation, population densities and industry.

The study finds that the situation affects many more than the 1.7 to 3 billion people previously estimated. China and India account for approximately half of the four billion reported in the study. Hoekstra said the problem is widespread, with critical shortages also in Mexico, North Africa, South Africa, the Middle East and the American West.

Read the rest at The Marshalltown

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